Gardner and Tanaka propel Yankees to 3-1 victory over Blue Jays

The Yankees had to feel pretty good about their situation this evening: they had Masahiro Tanaka on the mound, who has been their best player by far. Tanaka didn’t pitch a complete game, but his six innings and Brett Gardner‘s home run was just enough for the Yankees to beat the Blue Jays 3-1 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York.

Tanaka’s faced the Blue Jays twice, and both times he faced the Blue Jays their outings started the same: a lead-off home run. However, Tanaka was able to lock down the Jays and pitch six innings of one run ball while striking out 10, giving him a ridiculously low 1.99 ERA. Dellin Betances pitched two scoreless innings and David Robertson notched down his 17th save of the season by pitching a scoreless ninth.

While the Yankees were down 1-0, Brett Gardner hit a laser shot home run off the foul pole in the third inning, giving the Yankees a 2-1 lead. Mark Teixeira added an insurance run in the fifth inning to give the Yankees a 3-1 lead.

What’s Next?

— Chase Whitley will take the mound for the Yankees as he attempts to send them to a series win against the first place Blue Jays. First pitch will be at 7:05 p.m. and the game will air on the YES Network.